Rotary engine.



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ROTARY ENGINE.

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No. 675,52I. Patented lune 4, |90I. J. D. MGFARLAND, In.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application led Aug. 14, 1900.)

3 Sheath-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES D. MCFARLAND, JR., OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OFCNE-HALF TO JOHN'BRUCKMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

ROTARY ENGINE..

SPEGTFTCATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 675,521, dated J' une4, 1901.

Application filed August 14, 1900. Serial No. 26,822. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMEs D. MCFAELAND, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State ofCalifornia, have invented an Improvement in Rotary Engines; and I herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame.

This invention relates to certain improve- 1o ments in rotary engines,the object being to construct an engine to utilize the weight that comesinto its necessary parts as throw or light weight and to abolish slidingvalves and also when desired to use the tluid inedium under pressureexpansively.

It consists in details of construction which will be more fullyexplained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a side elevation showing one of 2o the cylinders in section. Fig. 2is a longitudinal central section ofthe same; Fig. 3, a face view ofreversing-collar E; Fig. 4, a section of reversing-collar on line so ofFig. 3; Fig. 5, an inside face of collarb, to which feed z5 and exhaustpipes g g are connected; Fig. 6, a face view of the wheel-hub,showinginlet of feed and exhaust ports to the various cylinders, theview showing how it would appear if there were four cylinders on wheels;Fig. 7, a

3o view of a inodication of my invention, showing the cylinders in thecommon trunk form with single end feed; Fig. 8, asectional view on liney y of Fig. 7; Fig. 9, a face View of reversingcollarused in Fig. 7;Fig. 10, an inside face of collar b, to the outside of which the feedand exhaust pipes g g are connected; Fig. 11, face of wheel-hub, showinginlet of feed and exhaust ports.

The engine consists of a circular rim A,

4o having upon one side a closed disk 2, with a projecting hub 3. Therim is sufficiently wide to receive the cylinders 4, which are securedto said rim or may be cast in the form of lugs or projections from thedisk toward the center of the wheel and these lugs afterward bored outto form the cylinder, thus making the structure solid and of a singlepiece. The rim is broad enough so that the cylinders are inclosedbetween one side and 5o the other, and upon the side opposite the diskare iixed spokes G by rivets or bolts, as de-V sired.

Through the spokes or disks are formed passages or channels 7 and S,leading, respectively, to the outer and inner ends of each of thecylinders. These passages terminate in openings through the flat end ofthe hub, and upon this hub end is fitted a disk 9, having segmentalslots or channels 10 11 12 made through it. The outer series of slotsform 6o passages through which the iinpelling inedium is admitted to oneset of passages and thence to one end of the cylinder, and the innerseries of segments in like manner lead the impelling medium to theopposite end of the cylinder when it has arrived at the proper positionto thus receive the medium. Corresponding openings in the disk or plateserve to exhaust the medium when the piston returns. 7o

Each cylinder is provided with a piston or plunger reciprocable therein,and, as shown at 14, piston-rods 15 extend through stungboxes in theinner ends of the cylinders. These piston-rods are bent at right angles,extending out to one side, as shown at 16, and thence they are bentagain upon themselves, having a portion 17 parallel with the rod 15 andconnecting with a slide 18, which travels in guide 19 upon the side ofthe cylinder, 8o thus insuring an even movement of this bent piston-rod.Connecting with the slide is a pitrnan 20, which extends to a crank-pin21, formed by bending the shaft 22, which forms the center of revolutionof the wheel. This bend being intermediate between the opposite spokesor sides of the wheel it forms a crank of sufficient length so that thepitman 20 of each cylinder may connect with the crank. A disk having thesegmental admis- 9o sion and exhaust passages is fitted against the endof the hub and has suitable connections by Which the impelling medium isbrought to and discharged froinit. This disk is so set that as the Wheelrevolves and brings the piston of a cylinder to one end, as the outerend of a cylinder, the latter standing at an angle with the crank, themedium under pressure will be admitted to the cylinder, and actingbetween the piston and the outer roo cylinder-head will impel thecylinder and its head away from the piston, because the latter isconnected with a fixed crank or support and cannot be moved. Thismovement of the cylinder outward causes a resultant diagonal or tangentaction upon the wheelrim, thus moving it a certain portion of itsrevolution, and each cylinder arriving at the place where the impellingmedium is admitted will be acted upon in the same manner, thus suddenlyimpelling the wheel in one direction. When the piston arrives at theopposite or inner end of the cylinder, by reason of the movement of thelatter to its farthest distance from the fixed crank, the supplyopeningsof the disk will then communicate through the inner passages with thisend of the cylinder and an impulse will be given from that end tocontinue the revolution. Thus each cylinder has two impulses given ateach reciprocation with relation toits piston, and a very continuouspower will be applied to rotate the wheel-rim. By this construction ofthe U-shaped piston-rod and the slide and pitman connecting with thecrank l obtain the greatest length of stroke With the smallest possible`diameter of the wheel, which is the advantage of the presentconstruction. y

The disk with its segmental slots, which serves as a valve for admissionand exhaust of the impelling medium, may be rotated upon itsaxes so asto change the position of the slots with relation to the inlet-passagesof the engines, and thus the movement of the engine can be reversed andthe wheel caused to rotate in the oppositek direction.

y The segmental slots through which the steam is admitted are separatedfrom each other by a dividing-wall 13, which may make any suitable ordesired distance between the slots, and the function of this wall is topermit the steam to be used expansively during the latter part of thestroke, and, the feedper-'ts in the hub passing over this closedportion,'the supply of the impelling medium Will be cut off while thisoccurs and the piston will continue to move to the end of the cylinderby the expansive force of the medium already contained Within it.

lf the wheel is made of sufficient diameter and it is so desired, thepiston may be of the class known as trunk-piston, having aconnecting-rod pivoted to theinner head and connecting with the crank,as previously described, in which case the engine would only receive andexhaust steam from the outer end and each engine would thus becomesingleacting.

It will be obvious that the engine-cylinders can, if desired, be placedentirely to one side of the circular diskl forming the wheel, the supplyand exhaust passages being bored in this disk to connect with thecylinders, and in this case the wheel would be supported upon the mainshaft, having the hub of suffcient length, While the crank would form asingle bend at right angles with the shaft, the crank-pin extendingacross between thecylinders and having a xed support, as shown at 25.

It Will be obvious that an engine of this class may be connecteddirectly with the shaft of a propeller or other shaft to which it isdesired to apply rotary motion.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. An engine consisting of a wheel having a closed disk forming oneside, a series of radially-disposed cylinders cast integral'therewithand bored out, pistons movable in the cylinders, bent piston-rods eachhaving one arm connected with a piston and an exterior. slide withywhichthe other arm of said rod connects, a crank and connecting-pitmenwhereby the pistons are operated, passages bored to connecty withopposite ends of the cylinders, said passages opening upon a flat endface of a hub, and a collar surrounding the Vshaft with its faceabutting against the hub,

said collar having segmental slots made through it, a means forsupplying a medium under pressure which is admitted alternately toopposite ends of the cylinders during the revolution of the wheel.

2. A rotary engine consisting of a disk or Wheel having cylindersradially secured or cast thereto, pistons reciprocable in the cylinders,U-shaped pistonrods, one arm of which connects with the piston Withinthe cylinder, and the other with a slide movable upon a fixed guideexterior to the cylinder, a crank out of line with the center of.revolution of the wheel, and a pitman connecting the piston-rod slidewith said crank.

3. The combination in a rotary engine of a revoluble wheel, a shaft uponwhich it is mounted, and a crank out of line with said' shaft, cylindersfixed to or cast with the wheel having pistons reciprocable therein, U-shaped piston-rods, one arm of which extends through stuffing-boxes inthe inner end of the cylinder and connects with the piston, slidesmovable upon guides parallel with the movement of the piston, with whichthe other ends of the piston-rods connect, pitmen connecting the slideswith the tixed crank, passages made in the wheel-disk connecting theopposite ends of the cylinders with the face of the wheel-hub, a disk orcollar adjustable with relation to the hub having segmental channelsformed in its face coincident with the passages leading to the cylinderswhereby a medium under pressure is admitted to and discharged from eachend of the cylinder during the rotation of the Wheel, and dividing-Walls between the segmental channels which serve to cut oft' the mediumafter a part of the stroke has been completed, whereby the medium actsexpansively during the remainder of the stroke.

4. In a rotary reciprocating engine, the combination of a disk or wheel,cylinders sages, and Walls or closed spaces between the admission-passages whereby the impelling medium is caused to operate expansively.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES D. MOFARLAND, JR. Witnesses:

HERMAN BRUCKMANN, MARGUERITE KENNY.

